The Return
Admittedly, Atlanta doesn’t have as much to offer as the other teams vying for Ryan, unless they’d be willing to ship off Eric Hartman or Troy Southisene, which is unlikely.
McKenzie signed for $3 million in the fourth round last summer, more than Southisene’s first-round bonus. Starting in rookie ball, he has climbed all the way up to High-A, striking out 28.7% of batters along the way.
Sitting in the 92-94 mph range, McKenzie gets around the ball extremely well, cutting his fastball slightly and spinning his curveball upwards of 3,000 rpm. The breaker takes on slurve shape, generating plus sweep and some depth in the low-80s. He’ll throw a changeup with conviction, showing an ability to kill spin.
McKenzie is a premium mover with a wiry frame. He’s an arm that looks to be able to sit 95 mph as he continues to mature. Strikes have been less consistent as he reached High-A, but there’s above-average command in the tank. McKenzie has a case to be a more coveted prospect than his teammate Cam Caminiti.
A Golden Spikes finalist, Lodise slashed .394/.462/.705 as a junior at Florida State, earning him a second-round selection. He found himself in High-A late last season, but was assigned to Low-A to start 2026. He was promoted on July 28 after mashing 21 home runs in 94 games.
His Low-A stint wasn’t as smooth sailing as expected, working on a more patient approach after chasing north of 30% of the time in college. He whiffed a decent amount, but the power output was potent. Lodise is a near-lock to stick at the six.
Bagwell holds a workhorse 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, working 89.1 innings to a 2.72 ERA across Low-A and High-A. He moves well and gets down to a lower release height, working a fastball, sweeper, and changeup. Bagwell will get up to 96, holding 92-94 through games, with a tick or two more likely still left in the tank.
Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers Receive: Joe Ryan
Twins Receive: Braylon Payne, Bishop Letson, Blake Burke
After years of apparent retooling at the deadline, even when in contention, Milwaukee appears set to push all the chips on the table for a deep playoff run.